


Wrangling Chief Beifong and Other Extreme Sports

by toastweasel



Series: Harmony [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, If you like the West Wing you'll love these, accompanying oneshots to Brave Soldier Girl, i gave Lin a butch assistant and then I gave that butch assistant a wife, which as everyone knows now is a part of my Butch OC agenda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastweasel/pseuds/toastweasel
Summary: Wrangling Chief Lin Beifong is a full time job. That's why the RCPD hired Hui.[Content warnings as applicable.]
Relationships: Lin Beifong & OC, Lin Beifong & Saikhan
Series: Harmony [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930441
Comments: 43
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linguini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linguini/gifts).
  * Inspired by [brave soldier girl, comes marching home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26346880) by [toastweasel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastweasel/pseuds/toastweasel). 



> Hui would not exist without Linguini. Linguini gave her her appearance, her purpose, and on many times, the best of her affections and one-liners. It's been all I could do to breathe life into our excited DMs, and it's been my utmost pleasure to create and share this character and her story alongside you. You're the best, Pasta!
> 
> Linguini also beta'd these, and I am forever in her debt.

* * *

_(brave soldier girl, comes marching home; Chapter 3)  
_

> _When it’s clear Lin will do everything herself or die trying, an assistant is hired to take the burden off. She’s a quietly competent ex-United Forces firebender named Hui, a product of the United Republic with light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and short black hair styled carefully with hair wax that smells of citrus. Lin comes in to her first morning as chief to find a fresh pot of longjing waiting for her on her new desk, a leather-wrapped daytimer with her schedule inked carefully into the lines in crisp black letters, and her papers arranged in stacks of “immediately,” “before noon,” “today,” “this week,” and “future” with all the signatory points starred in heavy red marker._
> 
> _Hui keeps all those without an appointment firmly out of Lin’s office, maintains an iron-clad hand on all her official RCPD correspondence, and provides an explanatory memo for each report that makes its way onto Lin’s desk._
> 
> _For those facts alone, Lin takes an immediate liking to her. The fresh, expertly brewed tea every morning helps, too._

* * *

**157 AG**

Hui is familiar with Lin Beifong when she applies for the job as the Assistant to the Chief of the Police—who isn’t? Hui might be from Makapu Village, which is often more concerned with magmatic movements and the annual fire lily festival over Republic City politics, but the Beifong name is legendary. She also reads, and Lin Beifong has been in the papers enough that even Hui has a good idea of who the new Chief is going to be.

It’s not Chief Beifong who opens the door into the interview room, however, but a prematurely balding gentleman who looks half-parts harried and half-parts impossibly grave.

“Hui?” he asks, and holds out a hand to shake the Republic City way.

She takes it without missing a beat. “Yes, sir.”

“Captain Saikhan,” he intones, and sits down at the table. She joins him, and he flips open a folder that clearly holds her resume, letters of recommendation, and work samples. “Normally you’d be interviewed by the AC of Personnel, but considering that’s going to be me in the next few months—”

He sighs, scruffs a hand through his hair, and stops whatever he was going to say in its tracks. Hui can tell just by looking at him that this man is probably under a lot of stress. It’s written all over his face, and in the wrinkles in his light-grey Captain’s coat.

“It doesn’t matter,” Captain Saikhan says, and flips the first page of her resume over to glance at the page underneath. “You’ve got quite the impressive list of accomplishments.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He nods and flips back. “It says here you were a Lieutenant in the United Forces. Who did you serve under?”

“Captain Bumi, sir. Second division, under Commander Win.”

Saikhan pulls a fountain pen emblazoned with the RCPD logo out of his pocket and scribbles a note on her resume. “Your resume says you were an assistant?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What were your duties in that position?”

“Preparing memos for the Captain of incoming reports, charting naval movements, dictating his commands to the rest of the ship and ensuring his orders were complied with.” She pauses and lets the corner of her mouth tick up wryly. “As well as whatever else Captain Bumi requested of me.”

“Would you say you are comfortable with providing assistance in a fast-paced, often-changing environment?”

“Very, sir.”

Another note on her resume. “And before that position?”

“I assisted in communications between vessels and made certain messages reached the bridge. Before that, I worked in the kitchens, just after basic.”

He nods and looks back at her resume. “You’re a firebender?”

“Yes sir.”

“Any good?”

“I get by. I received the combat training all United Forces soldiers do.” She pauses. “This is an assistant position, yes?”

“Very much so,” Saikhan says with a laugh. “You shouldn’t be in the line of fire anytime soon. Now, what do you know about Assistant Chief Beifong?”

“Beyond what I’ve read in the papers? Not much.”

Captain Saikhan nods impassively, giving her no quarter. “And what from the papers do you know?”

“She’s a Beifong,” Hui says slowly, thinking back over what she’s read over the years, “Daughter of the founder of the police force. She’s the youngest assistant chief ever, which either means she is riding on the coat tails of her mother’s fame or has done it on her own merit and hard work. Considering the fact crime is down, she revolutionized the cable apparatus while she was in charge of the metalbending unit, and she’s been photographed behind every major dignitary who visits Republic City for the last decade, I would say it’s the latter.

The officer in front of her raises an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

“Well, there’s the nonsense about her breakup with Councilman Tenzin that filled the papers for months, but that’s no one’s business except her own, really.”

“You’re astute.”

“Just piecing together the rocks from the rubble, sir.”

Saikhan nods and closes the folder. “Do you have any questions?”

She asks the perfunctory ones—about pay and leave—and he shows her out with a nod. Not bad for a first interview, if Hui has to think. She gets a call a month later to schedule her for a second interview.

This one is in front of a panel.

Captain Saikhan is there, as is Chief—well, soon to be Chief—Beifong. Hui meets her gaze as soon as she enters; she’s met back with cool green eyes, a prematurely lined face slashed by a faded scar, and what looks to be a permanent scowl. Assistant Chief Being looks even nastier than the papers give her credit for, and they’ve said quite a bit about her legendary attitude.

“Good morning,” Hui says carefully as she takes her seat in front of the panel. “Thank you for having me.”

“Thank you for joining us,” a man says. The nameplate in front of his spot at the table says Chief Kang, so he is clearly the man Beifong is going to replace. “Lieutenant Hui, is it?”

“Just Hui now,” she says. “I am no longer under the employ of the United Forces.”

Assistant Chief Beifong crosses her arms over her chest and leans back in her seat. Hui thinks she looks tired, like she hasn’t been sleeping properly.

“Let’s get started, shall we?” Chief Kang asks no one, and folds his hands in front of him over the table. “Your credentials are excellent, and I have no doubt you’d make a fine assistant. But why do you want to work for the Republic City Police Department?”

“I admire the work that is done here,” Hui says, carefully, making sure to be clear with every word. “It is very similar to the work I did in the United Force, and I appreciate that. Now that my situation has settled, I would like to continue on that path.”

“Elaborate.”

“When I was sixteen, the volcano that overlooked my village erupted,” Hui tells the panel, recounting the story as she had told countless times before. At the time it had been terrifying. But now, almost twenty years later, the terror has long since faded, replaced with calm acceptance. “Avatar Aang and his friends saved my village once but were not there to do so a second time. It was not Avatar Aang that came and rendered aid to my village once the magma cooled, but instead the United Forces. I joined them two years later to help others, like the generosity that had been rendered to me and my village. And while my career path may not have been exactly what I had envisioned, I found my peace aboard my ship: First serving my fellow soldiers in the mess, then aiding in communications, and then assisting Captain Bumi directly.”

She watches Assistant Chief Beifong flinch in recognition at the mention of her former captain’s name. This, to Hui, makes sense. It was no secret Captain Bumi was the eldest child of the Avatar. As the child of Toph Beifong and the former partner of Tenzin, Assistant Chief Beifong clearly has to know Captain Bumi in some capacity.

Chief Kang strokes his beard thoughtfully. “And how has this experience of yours in the forces prepared you for this role? Or, rather, how would being the Chief’s assistant allow you to continue this path?”

“The Chief runs the entire department,” Hui replies primly. “There is nothing that will not pass through her hands. Every acquisition this department makes, every policy it helps enforce, every movement of the patrol officers—it will all be approved by her, just like it is currently approved by you, sir. If I am able to assist a person with that kind of reach, ease the burden so that she may focus on the task at hand instead of the minutia of meeting minutes and personal correspondence and schedule keeping, is that not by extension helping those that this department goes on to help? It’s not glorious, but it doesn’t need to be. I’m happy to do my part.”

She pauses and looks at Lin, who is squinting at her as if trying to see through a smokescreen. She looks at the current Assistant Chief of Personnel, the man Saikhan is shadowing, and notices he has a bare foot planted firmly on the ground. He must be a truthseer, she reasons, but that doesn’t make her nervous in the slightest. She has nothing to hide.

Saikhan and the Assistant Chief of Personnel are writing in their notebooks. Chief Kang looks down at his notes, then back at her appraisingly. “You have a gap in your resume. Can you account for it?”

“My wife was injured in an elevator accident last year,” Hui replies honestly. “When it became clear her injuries were extensive and she would need assistance in her recovery, I took my discharge in order to care for her.”

Saikhan looks up at her, and for a second she can see humanity underneath the gruff, hard police captain shell. He breaks rank to ask, “And how is your wife now?”

“Very well, sir. She’s adjusting to her wheelchair and is back to work next month.”

“Would you have continued to serve in the United Forces had the incident not occurred?” Chief Kang asks.

“Yes, sir.”

“And why did you not re-enlist?”

“It is best for my wife if I stay in Republic City for the foreseeable future.”

Chief Kang nods again and glances down the table at the woman on the far end. “Assistant Chief Beifong, if hired she would be your assistant. What questions do you have for her?”

Hui looks at the woman who would be her boss, matches her eye for eye and takes in her steely gaze without flinching. Assistant Chief Beifong is still looking at her as if she’s trying to dissect her, lay her open bare and understand secrets that Hui doesn’t even know herself.

She’s quiet for so long that Hui almost wonders if Assistant Chief Beifong has no questions, but then the older woman opens her mouth and practically barks,

“Why shouldn’t we hire you?”

Hui is taken aback. What sort of question isthat? But then, she supposes, The Chief of Police is, on some levels, a tactician. She needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of her entire operations, beat cops, ranking officers, and secretaries included.

Hui reaches up to adjust the knot of her tie as she contemplates.

“I suppose you shouldn’t hire me if you just want a yes man,” she finally says, “or someone who leaves directly at the end of their shift. I can be circumspect, but I will stand up for what I believe in. Take that as you will.”

“Captain Bumi said as much in his letter of recommendation,” Chief Kang said with a grin. “Thank you, Hui. Unless Assistant Chief Beifong has any more questions, that will be all.”

Nobody moves, and Beifong is just back to her glaring, so Chief Kang dismisses the panel. “This is our last interview of the day, so Captain Saikhan will take you upstairs for your skills test. We will get back to you before the end of the month with the decision.”

Hui stands and bows respectfully. “Thank you for your consideration.”

The others stand and file out, off to other meetings. Captain Saikhan leads her down the hall to the elevator lobby, and Assistant Chief Beifong joins them in the elevator. Hui and Saikhan stand near the front, and out of habit Hui settles into parade rest as the doors close.

“You have a cloud on your tie pin,” Captain Saikhan notes as the elevator rises slowly to the top floors of the building. “Interesting choice for an interview. Is there any significance?”

“I’m from Makapu Village, sir. Clouds are good luck.”

“You can’t really believe that garbage?” Assistant Chief Beifong asks suddenly, bluntly, from where she’s stuffed herself in her corner of the elevator.

Captain Saikhan flinches and hides a grimace, but Hui turns to face her directly.

“It can’t hurt to stack the deck,” Hui says without taking her eyes off her. “But I like to think my resume and experience speaks for itself.”

The Assistant Chief’s lip curls slightly, and she’s out of the elevator as soon as the doors ding open. Her metal boots clank angrily down the polished floors.

Captain Saikhan sighs, and gestures the opposite way down the corridor. “Please don’t mind her. She is—”

“Under an immense amount of stress, I’m sure,” Hui says evenly, falling into step beside him. “I understand. It’s not a problem. If I end up working for her, I’m sure this won’t be the last time.”

“And it doesn’t bother you?”

“If I do my job correctly, it won’t bother me because it won’t exist.”

The metalbender besides her laughs, as if she told a funny joke. “I think you underestimate AC Beifong’s ability to take issue with just about anything the department throws at her.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Hui says, a confident smile playing across her lips, “I think you underestimate my ability to make sure those issues never reach her in the first place.”

* * *

Hui


	2. Chapter 2

“We’re late,” Hui said, exasperated, as Lin walked out of her officer and found her waiting in her coat and holding a stack of folders. “Council meeting starts in five minutes, Chief.”

“Tell the Triple Threats to stop making threats against dignitaries during my lunch and maybe I’ll actually be able to stick to the schedule,” Lin quipped back sardonically as she swirled her greatcoat over her shoulders and started a quick exit for the door. “What have you got?”

“Council wants to restrict our budget by a hundred thou for the next quarter,” Hui said, falling into step beside Lin as they walked through the bullpen and out into the main hall. Lin held out her hand and Hui dropped the proper folder into her hand. The metalbender opened it, and Hui punched the down button to the elevator once they entered the lobby. “Overall, six hundred thousand yuans for our next budgetary cycle.”

“My talking points?” Lin asked, flipping a page in the folder as the elevator opened in front of them.

Hui followed her into the elevator and tapped the corresponding highlighted bullet points as the doors closed behind them. “We’ve got aging fleet vehicles that need to be replaced, and forensics needs new fingerprint technology. Since we increased personnel last year, we’ve had an uptick in injuries, so the clinic wants to hire another healer.”

“Understood. How urgent is that request?”

“Fairly, they’re stretched pretty thin.”

As the elevator dinged open, and they walked through the lobby for the main doors, Hui replaced Lin’s folder with a second. “City planning is looking to start installing more traffic lights, starting in District 6 and expanding over the next year and a half. Budget is two million yuans.”

“And we’re expected to enforce?”

“Yes.”

“How many additional officers will that require?”

“Saikhan thinks at least another two hundred, and probably a Lieutenant in charge.”

“Amazing,” Lin intoned dryly. “And we’re just supposed to find the money?”

Her assistant shrugged.

The chief sighed in frustration. “What else?”

“Our use of force complaints are down, which you know,” Hui said as she checked the main doors with her hip and handed over her third folder as they stepped into the bitter wind. That’s good, we can use it—”

“To our advantage requesting more funding,” Lin finished for her, green eyes briefly scanning the cover memo of the third folder as they began to cross the plaza towards City Hall. “Is that it?”

“For now,” Hui replied. “Those are our main points for this meeting. We can’t let them slash the budget, especially not if they want us to enforce those new lights.”

“And after the council meeting—?”

“You have a three o’clock at the academy for evals and then at five o’clock meeting with AC Saikhan to discuss strategy for that traffic light enforcement.” Hui paused. “And I’ll see about actually getting you some lunch since the Triple Threats had you on the phone all afternoon.”

They had reached the steps of City Hall. Lin snapped her stack of folders shut as they climbed up towards the gold-plated doors. “Good work, Hui. Rescue me at two-thirty if they haven’t adjourned by then. I don’t care what you have to do.”

Hui laughed and pulled the door open for her boss. “You got it, Chief.”

* * *

Lin has spent most of the past fifteen days in RCPD sweaters, a fact Hui is distinctly aware of because she’s had to dry and polish her armor every time the Chief of the Police comes back absolutely soaking wet from the different scenes she’s insisted on attending.

It’s a monsoon, the weather reporters say on the radio every morning as Hui gets ready for work. She wishes someone would tell Lin that. Maybe she’d be less inclined to go out in it.

“Welcome back, Chief,” Hui greets her boss in her office with a towel and a pot of tea.

Lin scowls and bends her metal off, revealing her sopping wet undershirt. “When will this damn rain end?”

“Next week, Chief,” the firebender says, and takes the main carapace of the armor after she sets the tea pot down. Lin strips off the arms and tosses them on the coffee table. “Briefing memo for your three o’clock is on your desk.”

Lin sighs and pushes wet hair roughly out of her eyes, then accepts the towel and wipes it roughly across her face. Hui bends to pick up the arms of the armor as the Chief walks around her desk, tussling her hair with the towel, and picks up the memo Hui had left on her desk the hour before.

“Agni,” she says as she passes the cotton terry over her lips, “what does Li Zhang what this time?”

“What does he ever want, Chief?”

Lin huffs, the most humor Hui would probably get out of her today. Hui takes the armor back to her office and gives it a quick wipe to get the worst of the water off of it, then grabs the box her wife had carefully packed off the top of her filing cabinet. She brings it in and finds while she had been gone, Lin had stripped out of her soaked undershirt and pulled a black RCPD t-shirt over her sports bra.

She set the box, with its carefully folded cardstock sides and shop twine, on the desk.

Lin looks at her sharply. “What’s this?”

“Compliments of my wife, Chief.”

The eyebrow that climbs almost into Lin’s hairline is legendary. Hui just shrugs mischievously and takes the wet towel from Lin, blowing her fire breath into it until steam rises from the fabric and it is dry once again. She leaves Lin to open the box and returns to her office, where she pulls out the oil and polishing rag from the cabinet and sets about saving Lin’s armor from rusting for the _fifth day in a row._

She’s just popped the back off the casing to dry out the cable spoons when there’s a knock on the connecting door to Lin’s office. She looks up and Lin is holding the RCPD sweatshirt Pimchan has carefully embroidered the Chief badge onto in gold thread.

“Haha,” the Chief says dryly, “very funny.”

But Hui can see the twinkle in Lin’s eyes. “I’ll tell Pim you like them, then?”

Lin rolls her eyes, but when Hui shows in Li Zhang for Lin’s two o’clock, the Chief is wearing the sweatshirt.

* * *

Lin comes in limping ten minutes past the hour, a tight grimace of pain underlining her normal morning scowl, and Hui notices immediately. After thirteen years of service, she’s gotten pretty good at reading Chief Beifong and all of her various scowls, not to mention reading the terrain that comes with Lin’s personal hygiene habits and outfits.

“Good morning, Chief,” Hui says carefully as Lin settles heavily in her chair, favoring her good side.

Lin grunts. From her overall disheveled appearance, it’s pretty clear to Hui it’s a bad pain day for her boss. Lin looks like she was up half the night, and as she shifts, Hui can see Lin trying to keep it together, trying to act like nothing is wrong.

Hui gives the tea in the pot a gentle blast, then sets it down on its slate on Lin’s desk and starts planning how to mitigate the day.

“You have a meeting with Special Services in twenty minutes to discuss the Fire Lord’s visit next month,” she tells Lin. “The memo is here.”

She taps the folder with the corresponding information, and the Chief nods. She shifts again, her grimace deepening, and pulls her planner towards her to look through her day.

Hui gives her some time to look at her planner and sort through the papers on her desk, and disappears back through the connecting door to her office. She finds the heat pack she keeps for Lin in her cabinet of Chief Wrangling Supplies and uses her firebending to warm the rice inside. Once it’s hot, she takes it and bottle of concentrated willowbark tablets and set them without comment on Lin’s desk.

“Thank you, Hui,” the chief says stiffly from where she is reading the memo for the upcoming meeting. “After this?”

“Yes?”

“Only the important reports today.”

The pain _must_ be bad today if Lin’s willing to voluntarily clear most of her schedule. Hui nods and gets ready to make Lin’s excuses for the rest of the day. “Of course, Chief.”

.

.

.

Four hours later, Saikhan knocks on her office door. “Hui, does the Chief have a minute?”

The firebender in question looks through her window into Lin’s office. The last time she had seen Lin, she had been flat on her back on the couch, a heat pack firmly wedged in the small of her back as she had read the latest intelligence reports. Hui hasn’t seen her surface in some time.

“One moment.”

She stands and knocks quietly on the connecting door, then pushes inside. She looks to her left and finds Lin right where she left her, only at some point, it appears she finally got her pain manageable enough that she was able to fall asleep. Whatever report she had been reading is propped against her chest, half read, and her reading glasses are decidedly askew.

She looks peaceful, which is a decided rarity, so Hui decides to leave her.

She closes the door to Lin’s office, then turns back to Saikhan. “Chief’s on a call, sir.”

“With whom?”

“I can’t say, sir.”

Saikhan nods in tacit understanding. He knows Lin’s chronic pain—and therefore chronic sleep—issues just as well as Hui. “It’s not a priority,” he says.

“I’ll have her circle back around with you tomorrow if she can’t manage it today.”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Saikhan leaves, and Hui goes to carefully pull the shade on her side of the window. Sometimes, it’s best to just let the Chief sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the style of songbookff: The only way to feed Lin things at work is to hand her items in the walk and talk!
> 
> Also a little snippet of Hui and her wife, Pimchan, who is adorable and you'll definitely see more of :)

“Afternoon, Chief,” Hui greeted Lin neutrally as she walked out of the council’s office. Lin looked grouchy, but that was a normal Chief Beifong set of affairs. Hui fell into step beside her like she had ever day for the past fifteen years.

“Absolutely useless waste of my time,” Lin growled out as they clattered down the stairs to the lobby, Lin’s metal boots clanking loudly against the marble floors.

“Councilman Tenzin more obnoxious than normal?” Hui asked sympathetically.

Lin made a disgusted noise that served as all the answer Hui needed. She held a hand as they walked, “What’s next on my agenda?”

Hui took the opportunity to press a sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil into Lin’s outstretched hand instead of the customary folder. “Metalbending recruit training at four until the close of the day, Chief.”

“Wonderful,” Lin mumbled, but to Hui’s delight was already absentmindedly pulling back the foil. Hui found that she could get Lin to eat most anything if she wrapped it in foil and stuck it in her hands while on the move; it was a remarkably easier strategy than trying to get Lin to sit down for lunch.

“Car is by the bank.”

Lin immediately pivoted on her heel towards the bank.

“Recruits are working on hook and reels today,” the firebender told her as they walked down the sidewalk towards the Chief vehicle. “First swings next week.”

“They’re behind.”

“This class has had some trouble.” Hui bent to unlock the driver side and gestured with her head for Lin to go around to the passenger side. “Personnel folders on your seat.”

Lin glared at her, but not too severely, and took a bite from the sandwich as she walked around and swung into the Satomobile on the other side. Hui slipped in herself and started the car as Lin immediately began to read with one hand and eat with the other.

Hui checked the road and then pulled into traffic. They joined the line of vehicles headed north out of the city, and Hui kept her eyes on the road as Lin caught up.

“Are any of these knuckleheads worth it?” the Chief finally asked, closing her folder and sucking a stray drop of sandwich sauce from her thumb. “Or should I just fire them now and save the department some yuan?”

“I think some of them have promise,” Hui said evenly.

“Only some of them?”

The firebender shrugged.

Lin frowned and crumpled the aluminum foil into a ball between her fingers. She stared broodily out the windscreen of the Satomobile as Hui took the exit ramp towards the Academy training grounds.

“Do they just need the living daylights scared out of them,” Lin finally asked, “or is remedial training necessary?”

“I can’t say. You’ll have to make that judgment today.”

The Chief sighed and rubbed a tired hand across her temple.

They were at the Academy training grounds five minutes. Hui pulled into the parking lot and checked her watch. “Fifteen minutes to spare, Chief.”

“Then just put on the radio,” Lin said as she crossed her arms and slumped in her seat. Hui could tell she was tired, and resolved to get some caffeine in her as soon as they got inside.

Hui fussed with the radio, and before she could find a proper channel, Lin had closed her eyes and was clearly trying to take a nap. Hui shook her head fondly, leaned her elbow on the Satomobile door, and listened quietly to a mid-afternoon disc jockey read off the weather for the upcoming weekend until it was time to wake the Chief for her rounds.

* * *

Hui unlocked the door to her apartment and pushed inside to find her wife sitting at the kitchen table, her long dark hair pulled back into a braid, reading a magazine with her nightly cup of tea.

“Hi, love,” Hui said tiredly, finally shedding the mantle of assistant she had had to wear all night.

Pimchan smiled and unlocked the wheels of her chair. “Hi there, handsome. How was the gala?”

“Exhausting,” the firebender sighed, dropping her briefcase by the door and shrugging out of her greatcoat.

Her wife wheeled closer as Hui pulled the clasps at her neck undone, finally freeing her neck. “How many times did you have to keep the Chief from murdering a politician?”

Hui felt an easy smile play across her lips. “At least five.”

“Only five?” Pim asked, rolling to a stop in front of her and smoothing a hand down the sides of Hui’s formal jacket. “You must have been in rare form.”

“Hardly,” Hui murmured, but she leaned down and kissed her wife gently. “It’s good to be home.”

“I’m glad you’re home,” Pim murmured against her lips. Hui pushed a lock of her long brown hair behind her ear, then kissed her again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come.”

“You didn’t miss much.” Hui kissed her one last time, then pulled away and started undoing the clasps of her jacket one by one. “The Chief—”

“Babe,” Pim interrupted, and Hui stopped and looked down at her, nonplussed. Pim wheeled back a foot or so, and Hui suddenly realized her wife was staring at her hungrily. “You can tell me all about it later. But I want to go to bed so I can undress you myself.”

“Of course,” Hui mumbled, feeling her face light up. “But what about your tea?”

“I’ll finish it later,” Pim told her, and she turned to start for their bedroom. It was all Hui could do to kick off her dress shoes and stumble after her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mail is here, Chief,” Hui said as she brought the stack requiring Lin’s attention into the Chief’s office.
> 
> Lin looked up from her paperwork. “Anything interesting?”
> 
> “Actually, yes.” Hui pulled the invitation from the stack and passed it over. “Invitation to a Fire Nation State dinner in two months… with a note for you.”
> 
> “…A note?”
> 
> “Yes, Chief.”
> 
> "Should I give them the usual regrets, Chief?”
> 
> “…No.”
> 
> Hui had not expected that. “Sorry?”
> 
> “Fire Lord Izumi has personally requested my attendance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all need good Formal Dinner, don't we?
> 
> This is set several years after the end of BSG/s4. No spoilers for BSG!

“Mail is here, Chief,” Hui said as she brought the stack requiring Lin’s attention into the Chief’s office.

Lin looked up from her paperwork. “Anything interesting?”

“Actually, yes.” Hui pulled the invitation from the stack and passed it over. “Invitation to a Fire Nation State dinner in two months… with a note for you.”

“…A note?”

“Yes, Chief.” Hui passed over the envelope, a thick cardstock thing emblazoned with the office of the Fire Lord and sealed with a fat glob of red wax pressed with the royal seal. Hui had already opened it to look at the invitation inside when she’d seen the note.

Lin took the envelope and looked at the embossed red and gold invitation, then at the smaller envelope inside. Her given name, no title, was penned on the outside. She pulled it out and gave it a little waggle. “Did you open this?”

“No, Chief.”

Lin slit the envelope with her letter opener and pulled out a hand folded piece of parchment. With a grimace she flicked it open and started to read.

Hui set the rest of Lin’s mail down on her desk and settled into parade rest in front of her desk. “Should I give them the usual regrets, Chief?”

“…No.”

Hui had not expected that. “Sorry?”

Lin sighed and tossed the note across the scattered papers on her desk. “It’s red tie. I’m assuming you still have your dress uniform?”

“…Yes, Chief.”

“Good. Get it dry cleaned on the RCPD.”

Hui tilted her head in confusion. “Chief?”

Lin gestured at the invitation and at the folded parchment covered in neatly looping scrawl. “Fire Lord Izumi has personally requested my attendance.”

“…I see.” Hui reached down to pick the official invitation up off the desk. “I’ll put it on the calendar.”

“Thank you, Hui.”

.

.

.

Two months later, Hui rapped on the connecting door between her and Chief Beifong’s office, then pushed inside when her boss didn’t give a response.

Lin was standing by her desk, telephone receiver tucked into her shoulder, scowling as she read a budget report without her glasses. She looked up as Hui walked in with a frown, but when Hui held up the garment bag she had just retrieved from dry cleaning, Lin nodded wordlessly and gestured at the coat rack.

Hui hung the hook of the bag where Lin had directed, then checked her watch. Lin’s call was going on far longer than it should have. She looked over at Lin and found her boss had put down the budget report and had a hand on her hip.

“I really don’t think it matters,” Lin said exasperatedly into the receiver. “The RCPD will have no further involvement in this. It’s been a—yes—fine—good day.”

As soon as the receiver was back on the hook, Lin was pinching the bridge of her nose. “And I have to see that man tonight, too,” she growled out.

“I’ll do my best to help you avoid Ambassador Quan,” Hui told her with some amusement.

Lin sighed in the manner of the most put upon. She came out from around the desk and went over to the bag, unzipping it to inspect the uniform within. Her lip curled at the sight of it.

“I hate this thing,” she said, although without much malice.

“At least it’s not graduation?”

“If I wasn’t proving a point, I wouldn’t wear it at all.” Lin zipped the bag back up and gave her a sharp look. “That’s all for today?”

“Yes, Chief. The rest of your schedule is blocked off for the event. A car will be by your apartment at eight to pick up you and Kya.”

“Very good.”

“If you’ll excuse me, Chief, I need to go home and get ready myself.”

Lin dismissed her with a little wave of her hand.

Hui gave her a tight little bow. “I will see you at the dinner, Chief.”

“I suppose you will.”

.

.

.

Pimchan was already getting ready when Hui got home, her dress on as she sat on her vanity applying makeup to her round cheeks.

“Hello, beautiful,” Hui murmured, coming into their bedroom and dropping a kiss onto her dark hair. It was still damp from the shower. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” Pim said with a smile, and tilted her head up for a kiss; Hui obliged, glad her wife hadn’t yet put on lip gloss. “Are you going to get dressed?”

“Mmhmm. I picked up my dress uniform from the dry cleaners this morning.”

“Well, hurry up,” Pim told her with a flirtatious smile. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”

Hui gave her a shy little smile and went to get dressed. She stripped off her office attire and instead slid on her stiff black pants. She buttoned her dress shirt up carefully all the way to her throat, and thumbed on her suspenders and her socks. She sat on the toilet and pulled her boots from the tank, wiping the dust off the spit-shined toes before pulling them on.

She heard Pim’s chair in the hall, and found her wife parked at the mouth of the bathroom to watch. She stood and opened the cabinet for her hair wax. In the mirror, she saw that her wife was still sitting there.

“What?” Hui asked over her shoulder as she carefully wet her hands and scooped hair wax onto her fingers.

“Nothing,” Pim said innocently. “Just looking.”

Hui rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through her short dark hair, then combed it over until it was exactly how she liked it. When she looked in the mirror, she saw her wife smiling. After a careful wash of her hands, Hui pulled on her waistcoat, then knotted her cravat with skill, even though it had been more than a year since she had last had to do so.

Pim handed her her jacket, and she slid into it, the heavy fabric settling onto her shoulders. Not as heavy as the canvas of her UF uniform, but close.

“The cords should be in there,” Hui murmured as she fastened the jacket clasp at her stomach and fixed the lay of the collar by running a careful finger around the edge.

Pim came up with them and handed them over. The firebender carefully slipped the loops over the corresponding buttons, and arranged the gold cords to fall just so over her shoulder. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror, looking for imperfections, then picked a bit of lint she spotted off her pants.

Finally, she deemed herself presentable. The hair wax was setting into shiny splendor in her black hair and she looked, in her humble opinion, like a million yuans.

She turned to her wife. “What do you think?”

“Hot,” Pimchan told her with a grin. “Come here.”

Hui immediately bent down, and Pim kissed her with a bit more passion than strictly necessary. Hui hummed and put one hand on the wheel of her wife’s chair to steady herself, then cupped her chin gently. Pim made a soft noise into her mouth, but pulled away after a few more moments.

“We’ll never get out the door if you do that,” Pimchan told her, unlocking her chair and wheeling backwards out of the bathroom.

Hui followed after her with a grin. “You started it.”

“I can’t help it.”

Hui smiled and checked her watch; their car would be by to pick them up shortly. She went to get her dress hat and gloves from their display place, and glanced at the photo from their wedding album Pim had displayed the mantle. They’d taken the photo in a park downtown, her wife in her beautiful red and gold qipao, Hui in the same uniform she was currently wearing. The only thing different was the hat in her hands, her UF helmet swapped out for an RCPD dress hat.

“Are you ready to go?” Pim asked from the hall, where she was applying lipstick and slotting cosmetics and other necessities into a tiny purse.

“I’m coming,” Hui replied, and carefully slipped on her cover before going to open the door for her wife.

.

.

.

The Fire Nation Cultural Center was buzzing when they arrived, and Hui helped Pimchan out of the car and into her wheelchair. Chief Beifong and Kya were waiting for them at the base of the stairs. Kya was wearing a stunning Southern-style evening gown with snowflake applique and tight beading, and Lin was in her dress blacks and white gloves, her grey hair pulled back in a severe bun under her Chief cap.

“Chief,” Hui greeted, then turned to Kya and gave her a formal bow, Southern style. “It’s good to see you again, Master Kya.”

“Oh, don’t get all formal with me,” Kya told her, and a second later the waterbender had swept her into her arms in a tight hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

Hui hugged her back carefully, cautious of wrinkles, then pulled back. “Might I introduce my wife, Pimchan?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kya told Pim, who smiled and reached forward to take Kya’s hand. “Your dress is beautiful.”

Pim looked down at the pale pink flapper dress she had on, and her smile widened. “Thank you! I made it myself.”

“She’s been beading for hours,” Hui said proudly, and put a gentle hand on Pim’s shoulder in support.

“Are we ready to go in?” Lin asked gruffly, never one for small talk.

Hui nodded.

“May I provide the lift?” Lin asked Pim.

“Of course, Chief Beifong.”

Lin made quick work of bending them a platform and raising the four of them to the atrium level. Hui turned her back as flashbulbs went off behind them, stepping in to shield her wife from being photographed. Hui had gotten used to the media attention that came with existing in the orbit of a Beifong (not to mention Master Kya), but Pim wasn’t accustomed and Hui didn’t want her to end up in the gossip rags in the morning. And in the rags they would definitely appear, what with such a public display of the Chief’s earthbending.

They reached the top and Pim rolled off amongst the columns. Hui and Kya stepped off after her, and Lin disintegrated the platform back into the stairs.

“Thank you, Chief,” Pimchan said, turning her chair to the side so she could face the earthbender.

“You _ can _ call me Lin. I have a first name, you know.”

“I don’t think I can,” Pim teased, “not until you come over for dinner.”

Hui ducked her head to hide a smile.

Kya laughed in delight. “Oh, I like you.”

“Me too. Let’s go inside?”

There were royal footmen at the double doors, and they were ushered inside. Both Hui and Lin took off their covers, and Hui instinctively swiped a hand over her hair to catch any strays.

The Fire Nation Cultural Center was decorated in traditional style, with lots of columns with bracketed capitals and walls and floors decorated with tapestries and marbles of red, black, and gold. Today blue fire crackled in torches alongside the electric lights, but nothing could quite brighten up the looming shadows brought on by such dark colors and a mostly fire-based lighting system.

The Fire Nation had always taken itself a bit too seriously, and after the Hundred Year War it had (in Hui’s own personal opinion) gotten mired down in politics and appearances. Still, they knew how to put on a party. Every side table was lined with a runner and hosted some sort of artifact, flower, or gemstone from all over the Fire Nation. Fossils from the Black Cliffs, obsidian from the mouth of some volcano or another, fire lilies from the interior islands, shawls spun from koala sheep wool, and even a live messenger hawk sitting hooded and quiet on a perch.

From the corner of her eye, Hui saw Lin looking around at all glittering gilt and glamour with ill-disguised contempt.

“I see Izumi’s spared no expense.”

“Oh stop,” Kya told her. “You know she likes to put on a show.”

“She needs a better hobby,” Lin groused, and privately Hui wondered what kind of life the Fire Lord lived if extravagant event planning was her version of  _ stress relief. _

“I’m sure you can tell her that when we see her later,” Kya said in condescendingly placating manner, rolling her eyes over Lin’s shoulder at Hui and Pim.

Lin made a face but said nothing.

“Do you want a drink?” the waterbender asked Pim. “Can I steal your wife, Hui?”

“Of course.”

Kya and Pimchan went off to the bar to get drinks, and Hui settled beside Lin, tucking her hands behind her back. Together they scanned the room, looking for people to avoid, assessing all the bodies packed in the tight reception space, milling about with drinks in hand.

“Chief—”

“I’m fine,” Lin said gruffly.

“Can I get you a drink?” Hui asked carefully.

“That won’t be necessary,” she replied, just as a voice behind them said, “Chief Beifong.”

Lin turned on her heel to face the voice. Hui saw a flicker of irritation go across her features.

“Ambassador Quan.”

Shit. The man she was supposed to be helping Lin avoid. Hui grimaced and shot her boss an apologetic look over Quan’s shoulder.

“You’re looking as radiant as ever, Chief Beifong,” Ambassador Quan said smoothly as Hui circled them and took a moment to size him up. He was a large man, Fire Nation stock through and through, with an impeccable dress uniform and a truly impressive mustache.

“Don’t think buttering me up will make me provide security for your  event ,” Lin told him sternly. “With the event moved outside of Republic City’s jurisdiction, I can no longer help you.”

“But don’t you think—” Ambassador Quan began, only to be interrupted by the return of Kya and Pim with their drinks. He was distracted by their appearance and quickly bowed with a formal, “Lovely to see you again, Master Kya. And—?”

“Pimchan,” Lin intoned, with a gesture at Hui. “She is here as the guest of my assistant.”

“A pleasure, Miss Pimchan,” the Ambassador said, leaning down to kiss Pim’s hand. Hui and Lin exchanged glances. “I’m serious, Chief Beifong, would you please recon—”

“I won’t.”

He floundered, then sighed. “I’ll get you one day, Chief Beifong. Now if you’d excuse me, ladies—” He backed off and disappeared into the crowds as quickly as he’d come. 

“I’ve never liked him,” Kya said cheerily as she took a sip of her drink. “What did he want?”

“Security for an event he’s holding outside of Republic City,” Lin informed her partner with a sigh. “He wants to use my metalbenders. I’ve told him no, and he’s been hounding me for weeks.”

“Why don’t you do it?” Kya asked. “Charge him a million yuans for the trouble and use it to buy a new airship from Asami. You seem to lose one at least once a quarter.”

Lin rolled her eyes.

A gong rang out, indicating seating was to begin shortly.

Chief Beifong looked as if she’d never been happier to hear the instrument before in her life. “Let’s go find our table.”

“To your right, love,” Hui murmured to her wife, nodding over to the entrance of the dining room. Pim gave her a grateful smile, and Hui walked just behind her as she followed Lin and Kya. It was only a minute or so wait before President Moon’s protocol officer showed them to their table, where they found two familiar faces already seated.

“Are they just sitting all the women who love women together?” joked Kya as Asami Sato and Avatar Korra brightened at their appearance. “Now  _ I’m _ going to have words for Izumi.”

It had been some time since Hui had interacted with either Miss Sato or Avatar Korra. Both had direct lines into Lin’s office, and whenever Lin needed to set up an appointment, Hui always went through the assistant that managed both of their schedules. Even the time or two she had interacted with either of them, it hadn’t been for very long.

The Avatar and Miss Sato stood and went over to greet Lin and Kya warmly. They were friends, after all, although Hui remembered a time when the Avatar hadn’t been.

“You clean up nice, Beifong,” Korra teased. “I didn’t know you had anything in your closet beside that metal armor.”

“You’re not too bad yourself, kid,” Lin replied fondly. After Kya finished distributing hugs, Lin made introductions. “Avatar Korra, Miss Sato, you remember my assistant, Hui?”

Hui saw recognition spark in both of their eyes, which surprised her. Most people outside of the RCPD didn’t know she existed.

“It’s nice to finally meet you properly,” Asami said genuinely, holding her hand out to shake. 

“Likewise,” Hui replied, and took her hand. The engineer had a good handshake, solid, a fact Hui appreciated. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Sato. And you as well, Avatar Korra.”

Korra bowed respectfully, and Hui mirrored the move, then gestured at her wife, who was just barely hiding the stars in her eyes. “My wife, Pimchan.”

Both Korra and Asami greeted Pim with just as much warmness as they had Hui, which the firebender was grateful for. She could tell Pim was a bit out of her depth. Pim already knew Lin, of course, but a seamstress like her would almost never otherwise have the chance to attend state dinners and meet individuals as famous as Miss Sato or Avatar Korra had it not been for Hui’s position.

“I love your dress,” Asami complimented Pim as they took their seats.

Pimchan beamed as she pulled her chair up into her spot beside Asami. “Thank you! I made it myself.”

“Did you do the beading? Because I—”

Hui listened in on the conversation for a moment more before settling in her own chair. She carefully settled her hat in her lap and began pulling off her gloves. Across from her, Lin was doing the same. Kya had been placed next to Hui, between her and Lin, and she solicitously held both of their hats in turn as they tucked their gloves firmly into the inner bands of their hats. Hui checked to make sure they were secure, then set her hat between her place setting and the expansive fire lily centerpiece.

Pim was still engaged with Asami, talking animatedly about the latest fashion plates out of Capital City and Ba Sing Se. Across the table, Korra was peppering Lin with questions about the well-being of her sister’s family, so Hui turned her attention to Kya.

“Are you enjoying your work at the hospital?” she asked.

“It’s been illuminating,” Kya replied, reaching for the glass of water by her plate. “Different work than the Poles and the camps. I’m having fun.”

“That’s good. It’s been how long?”

“Almost a year now,” the waterbender hummed, a fact which Hui already knew, but she was being polite.

“Have you and Chief found a house yet?”

Kya sighed and threw a glance at her partner. “ _ Someone _ is being difficult.”

Hui gave her a sympathetic expression. It had been impossible to get Chief to take the time out of her day to do the search, and she  _ had _ tried _. _ Several times.

Some things never changed.

The second gong of the evening sounded, and the room—now mostly full—quieted. President Moon stepped up to the podium to address the crowd and formally welcome the Fire Lord to the United Republic.

Dinner came and went, pig-chicken with asparagus and smoked potatoes (with smoked sea slug for the pescatarians and stalknose mushroom pilaf for the vegetarians), with fruit tarts and custard for dessert. Pim and Asami chatted amicably the entire time, while Korra bent Lin’s ear for advice about something going on in a newly formed Earth Kingdom state. Hui was happy to speak with Kya; they swapped stories of their world travels and favorite foods eaten around the globeworld. Kya was much like her older brother, the firebender discovered, a good listener and an even better storyteller. She was less animated when she spoke, but just as passionate when she got going, which Hui appreciated.

About an hour in, Fire Lord Izumi gave her speech. Mostly platitudes of the Fire Nation’s continued support of Republic City and the state of the reparations that were being paid to the world. Hui listened carefully, making mental notes for Lin. She doubted Lin would ever actually need them, let alone  _ use  _ them, but it never hurt to be prepared.

“Please rise for the departure of the official party,” President Moon’s protocol officer intoned formally after the speech was over, and the room rose almost as one for Fire Lord Izumi and her entourage. As soon as they were away, the room became a hubbub of activity as ambassadors, dignitaries, and officials began to file out.

As they waited to leave, an aide wearing Fire Nation Navy dress wove his way through the tables in their direction. 

“Great,” Lin murmured darkly. “Here we go.”

“Avatar Korra, Chief Beifong, Lieutenant Hui,” he intoned upon his arrival, snapping them a sharp salute. He was short, with slick black hair, a square face, and thick eyebrows. “Fire Lord Izumi has requested the attendance of you and guests for private drinks in her suite at the Four Elements.”

Pim looked at Hui, eyes wide. “ _ The  _ Fire Lord?”

“The Fire Lord,” Hui confirmed for her wife, whose eyes got, if possible, even wider.

“We’ll be there,” Kya told the aide as Hui reached for her cover and gloves.

“We can take my limo,” Asami said. “It’s plenty big for all of us.”

Hui and Lin slipped on their hats and finished pulling on their gloves, then all six of them departed as soon as the ballroom emptied enough that Pimchan could navigate the crowds without danger. Asami’s limousine was indeed big enough for all of them, and soon enough the party found itself waiting for the Fire Lord in the parlor of the Presidential Suite.

Pim was pale with nerves, and Hui put a gentle gloved hand between her shoulder blades and rubbed gently with her thumb. Her wife looked up at her gratefully.

Fire Lord Izumi swept in with her own entourage—the aide from before, as well as her son and a woman Hui didn’t recognize, probably security of some kind. Izumi made a beeline for Lin.

“Really?” she asked as soon as she was close. “I told you not to wear your police uniform.”

“You told me not to wear my  _ metalbending _ uniform,” Lin corrected smugly. “You said nothing about dress.”

Izumi cast her hands skywards, but was smiling. Introductions were made, and Hui slipped away to the stocked bar. Nobody noticed her go, and five minutes later, she silently pressed a tumbler of water into Lin’s hand without interrupting her conversation.

“You’re good,” Iroh noted approvingly as Hui returned to her place beside her wife and handed off a glass of plum wine to her. Lin, Korra, and Kya had been pulled into conversation with Izumi about Korra’s Earth Kingdom problem, leaving Asami, Hui, and Pim to chat with Iroh.

The general in question nodded at Hui’s dress uniform. “Who did you serve under?”

“Commander Bumi, sir,” Hui replied, then paused and added, “but at the time of my service he was a Captain, not a Commander.”

“Really?” Asami eyes, her eyes twinkling. “Tenzin’s brother Bumi?”

“The very same.”

“How was that?”

Hui shook her head fondly. She had enjoyed her time aboard Bumi’s ship, and her time as his aide-de-camp. “It was never boring.”

Iroh laughed good naturedly. “That’s for sure.”

“You didn’t get a drink for yourself, Hui,” Asami noted as she turned for the bar. “Can I get you something?”

“No thank you.” 

Hui didn’t like to drink when Lin was around.

Asami shrugged in a ‘suit yourself’ gesture. “Iroh?”

He put in an order for a shot of sorghum and off she went off. Iroh turned back to Hui. “When do you leave the United Forces?”

“In the fall of 136, sir. I started working for the RCPD the year after.”

“Chief Beifong’s Chief Wrangler,” joked the voice of Izumi’s aide, Guowei, as he joined the party. Apparently the Fire Lord had no current need for him. “Isn’t that what they call you?”

Hui glanced over at him. He was new to Izumi’s staff, her old aide having retired two years before. Hui hadn’t yet had the pleasure (or in this apparent case, displeasure) of meeting him face to face. “Guowei, isn’t it? We’ve spoken on the phone.”

He was shocked into formality, and blindly offered his hand. She took it and shook, hard. Theoretically they should have been bowing, as he was the guest and they were the host, but he had offered the shake. Like hell she would refuse the offer. He gave off a vibe she didn’t like, although she didn’t yet have anything substantive as to why.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, and she watched him subtly flex his fingers in pain upon the retraction. Good. “So you’re—”

“Chief Beifong’s assistant, yes,” she interrupted. Pimchan frowned up at her, no doubt catching onto the barely-concealed hostility in her tone. “My name is Hui. And this is my wife, Pimchan.”

Guowei glanced down at Pim and nodded in the barest acknowledgement, then turned back to her. From the corner of Hui’s eye, she could see Iroh shift uncomfortably.

“I understood you were a Lieutenant, Hui?” the general asked almost desperately. Just as awkward as his grandfather, with whom Hui had interacted several times in Lin’s service.

She turned back to him. “Yes, sir. I served fourteen years.”

“How many under Commander Bumi?”

“Seven, sir. He took command of the vessel I served on about halfway through my time in the United Force.”

“You served under Commander Bumi?” Guowei asked, surprised.

“I did,” Hui replied coolly. Now she wished she had taken up Asami’s offer for a drink; she wanted something in her hands to distract herself from wanting to punch this man in the face. She wasn’t normally a woman of violence, but this man had an exceptionally punchable face.

“You must have some stories,” Guowei said, excited. “That man is tactical chaos!”

“Who is tactical chaos?” Asami asked, returning with a glass of wine for herself and Iroh’s shot of sorghum liquor.

“Commander Bumi.” Iroh took the shot glass from her.

“It’s the perfect descriptor, isn’t it?”

“That’s one way to put it,” Asami laughed, then held out her free hand to Izumi’s aide. “I’m Asami Sato, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Hui watched the avarice grow in Guowei’s eyes as Asami’s identity was confirmed to him and knew. This man was a ladder climber and a clout chaser, the kind who thought nothing of rolling around in the dirt and then using his dirty clothes to blind or entangle those coming up behind him.

Her hand on Pim’s shoulder tightened.

Pim looked up at her and covered her hand softly with her own. “Sweetheart?”

Hui shook her head and carefully extracted herself from her wife. “I’ll be right back.”

She went for the bar, and noticed that Guowei watched her with interest despite the conversation he was carrying on with Asami. A quick glance at Lin showed Hui that she was still embroiled in whatever discussion she was having with Kya, Korra, and Izumi. It also showed that as she had expected, Lin had already made her way through most of her first glass.

Perfect.

She filled two glasses with baijiu, Guowei watching the entire time, and brought one over to her boss. She felt bad, voluntarily putting alcohol in Lin’s hand, but with the way this guy was watching she was certain he was after dirt on Lin.

She brushed the back of her gloved hand against Lin’s arm, just enough to make it look like an accident. Lin tilted her head towards her as Hui pressed the glass into her hand.

“Don’t drink this,” she murmured in Lin’s ear as she collected Lin’s used glass. “It’s alcoholic.”

She felt Lin stiffen imperceptibly. 

“We have eyes,” was all Hui could say before she had to pull away. Any longer and Guowei would suspect something. Lin, thankfully, was a master of the game. She didn’t look over, just kept listening to Korra with an impassive expression.

Hui returned to the circle with her own drink, and set her feet to point towards the oily little bastard. Lin could infer the rest.

“So the Chief of Police likes baijiu?” Guowei said as she came back.

“So do I,” was all she replied, holding up her glass and taking a sip. She really didn’t like it, at all if she had to be honest, but needs must. After she drank she added, “Please pass our compliments along to the hotel staff. It’s excellent.”

“What else does she like to drink?” Guowei tried again, a little more obviously.

“Most liquids. She is, after all, a human being, and we need fluids to survive.”

Asami’s eyes widened at the swipe. Pim, noting the danger in her wife’s stony reply, tugged gently on her pant leg.

“Sweetheart, can you wheel me over to the windows? I rarely get to see from this high up.”

Pim didn’t need to be wheeled  _ anywhere,  _ ever. She got around fine on her own. But she knew something was wrong, and she wanted Hui out so she could talk to her. Hui saw the exit for what it was and took it. She handed her wife her glass of baijiu and carefully used the low back of the chair to nudge her wife in the right direction.

Once they were in front of the windows, and far enough away not to be overheard, Pim asked quietly, “What was that?”

“He’s a slug,” Hui told her, disgust dripping from every word. She didn’t even try to hide her disdain for the man. “He’s after dirt on Chief.”

Pimchan’s dark eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded solemnly. She handed Hui back her glass, and intertwined her fingers in Hui’s still-gloved ones. “Are you taking care of it?”

“I’m trying.” Hui squeezed her wife’s hand and looked out the window, across the glittering city, towards the water. Or, where the water should have been on the horizon. Instead there was a glow, the sky hot and angry and everything the night sky  _ shouldn’t _ be, even in a city.

Something wasn’t right.

“Chief—” she began, just as the room phone rang.

Guowei hurried to answer it. Lin snapped her head over to Hui and Hui watched as her eyes widened at the situation playing out beyond the glass.

“What the—”

“Chief Beifong,” Guowei said formally, and Lin hurried for the phone. “Assistant Chief Saikhan is on the line.”

“He better be,” Lin all but growled, and tucked the receiver under her ear with alacrity. “Saikhan, report.”

Asami, Iroh, and Korra were drifting towards the windows now, with Kya, Izumi, and the woman acting as Izumi’s security not far behind.

The glow across the horizon was growing, and they could see the fire licking above the rooflines several thousand meters from the hotel. Hui looked back at Lin; she was listening intently to whatever Saikhan was saying on the other end.

Hui heard Pim gasp, and she turned just in time to see a massive fireball of an explosion that climbed into the sky well above the buildings of the harbor.

“That’s not good,” Asami said nervously.

Two seconds later the shock wave hit them. The building shook and the glass rattled, but held. The wave knocked the lot of them off her feet, glasses dropping out of hands. Some of them, including the Avatar and Miss Sato, recovered with greater finesse than others.

Hui clambered to her feet as soon as the world stopped shuddering and checked on her wife. Pim had locked her brakes and was fine, just shaken up. She immediately covered Pimchan’s hands with her own and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” she murmured.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Hui said honestly, and dropped a gentle kiss to her temple.

Around her, the others in the room were galvanizing to action.

“‘Sami, let’s go,” Korra was saying, already heading for the door, then, “Lin! Was that what your call is about?”

Chief Beifong was still on the telephone. She also looked shaken, but seemed to have maintained her footing. She spoke a few more words into the receiver, then slammed it back into the cradle. “Dock four, there’s a fire in warehouse six.”

Asami’s eyes widened. “We have to get there, there are fertilizers in warehouse ten.”

The Chief of Police was already stripping out of her dress jacket and tie. “Go. Kya—”

“I’m going,” her partner said, and kissed Lin on the cheek swiftly as she passed. “Let’s go, kids.”

Asami and Korra were already on the move. Kya followed hot on their heels.

“Iroh, go with the Avatar,” Izumi commanded steadily. “Guowei, assist my son with anything he might require.”

Guowei, to his credit, snapped Izumi a sharp salute and ran out the door after Iroh.

Hui stood up from where she was kneeling beside her wife. Pimchan was alright, but she knew Lin could sometimes get rattled from explosions after her experiences with Amon. She crossed the room to make sure she wasn’t going to have a panic attack.

“Chief—”

“I’m fine,” Lin snapped gruffly as she handed her service jacket and effects to her assistant. “Get to headquarters. Saikhan has set up Emergency Command.”

“But—”

“I’ll be responding personally to set up a base command, Mako will meet me there with a uniform,” Lin said in a tone that brokered no argument as she unclipped her cufflinks and passed them to Hui. The metalbender looked over at Pimchan, who was rolling her way over now that the room had mostly cleared. “Pimchan, I’m afraid I need your wife for the evening.”

“That’s alright,” Pim replied with a little nod. “It looks serious.”

Lin nodded, finished rolling up her sleeves, and looked back at her assistant. “Headquarters, Hui.”

“Yes, Chief,” Hui said stiffly, then glanced down at Pimchan, who was looking a bit pale and drawn. The night had become far more exciting, and the effects were starting to show. “Can I take my wife home first?”

“I’ll arrange for a car home,” Izumi said, suddenly joining them with her security woman close behind. Hui had almost forgotten she was there in all the rush.

“That won’t be necessary,” Hui all but stammered, thrown by the breach of protocol. “I can—”

“Let her call your wife a car home,” Lin ordered gruffly as she made for the door. “We need to go.”

“Yes, Chief,” Hui said faintly, then turned and made probably the most surreal introduction she had ever had to give in her entire life. “Fire Lord Izumi, my wife, Pimchan. Pimchan, Fire Lord Izumi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Izumi said with a formal bow before looking at the firebender and giving her a slight smile. Your wife is in good hands, Lieutenant Hui. Go.”

“Thank you, Izumi!” Lin called casually over her shoulder as she left.

Hui looked back at her wife, who gave her one more reassuring smile. Hui smiled back, then she bundled up Lin’s jacket and other things into a ball and all but sprinted out of the room and down the hall after her Chief. 

.

.

.

The fire was contained by daylight, but Chief Beifong didn’t stumble back into the office until a little after noon. Hui was asleep on Lin’s couch as the double doors slammed shut behind her. She startled awake to find her boss staring at her with an amused quirk on her lips.

“Sleeping on the job?” Lin asked sarcastically as Hui’s eyes finally focused on her face.

“With all due respect, Chief,” the firebender mumbled, embarrassed she had been caught, “it’s Saturday, and AC Saikhan replaced me two hours ago.”

“I know. Go home.” Lin told her, and went over to her desk where she found the teapot full of water Hui had left there in preparation for her return. “Is this fresh?”

Hui hauled herself upright and stood with a wince. “It can be.” She crossed to the desk and as she heated the pot with her bending, gave her boss a critical once over.

The Chief was positively grimy, her face and dress shirt soot stained, her dress pants torn in several places. Hui despaired for the state of her dress shoes, which were nicked and scuffed beyond even her repair. Her hair was a wreck and there was a cut on her forehead and a gash on her leg, neither of which looked like they had seen a healer.

Hui sighed. Typical. “Please sit, Chief Beifong.”

To her complete surprise, Lin sat.

Although she shouldn’t have been surprised, not really. The Chief looked dead on her feet.

Hui went to fetch Lin’s preferred brand of tea leaves, along with the first aid kit from her cabinet and the change of clothes she kept for Lin. Lin eyed her warily as she came back in with the pile.

“Kya will have my head if I don’t look at that,” Hui said as she set the first aid kid and Lin’s change of clothes on her desk. She twisted the top off the tea canister and scooped two spoonfuls of leaves into the boiling water. “Where is she, anyway?”

“At the scene with the other healers.”

Hui re-covered the pot. “Still?”

“There were a lot of night shifters caught in the blast.” Hui reached for the first aid kit but Lin grumbled out, “It’s fine. It doesn’t need it.”

Hui gave her a look. Lin glared back, but Hui held steady. Finally, her boss sighed and slumped back in her chair, gesturing in surrender.

“Thank you,” Hui told her, and pulled out the bottle of willowbark tablets first. “Two.”

Lin knocked them back dry, then started to unbutton her mangled dress shirt. Her undershirt wasn’t as grimy, but it looked like the Chief had run a marathon in it.

“Have you eaten since last night?” Hui asked as she pulled out rubbing alcohol and gauze from the first aid kid. Lin shook her head. Hui rolled her eyes and picked up Lin’s phone, calling out to the weekend secretary. “Hey, Jin, it’s Hui. Can you go down to Narook’s and pick up two squid noodle bowls, an udon with fishcake, and three seaweed salads? …Great, thank you! You can expense it to the Chief’s office.”

“She can?” Lin intoned wryly.

Hui ignored her and came around to Lin’s side of the desk. She leaned on the hardwood and said into the receiver. “Just call when you’ve got it and I’ll come get it, okay? Thank you. I owe you.”

She hung up, turned back to Lin, and launched into her usual concussion check without missing a beat. “Headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blurry vision, confusion, dizziness?”

“I haven’t had anything to drink since ten o’clock yesterday and haven’t slept in thirty hours,” Lin growled out, crossing her arms over her chest. “Of course I have a headache.” 

“Tea will be finished steeping by the time I finish with your forehead cut.” Hui had Lin follow her finger up, down, and side to side. “What caused it?”

Lin was quiet.

“Chief.”

“…Falling debris.”

“And the thigh?”

“The same.”

Hui sighed and reached for the rubbing alcohol. She splashed some on her hands since she didn’t trust Lin not to bolt if she went to the washroom to clean them in the sink, then soaked a piece of gauze in saline. “The cut, please.”

“You’re as bad as Kya,” Lin complained, but tilted her head so Hui could access her temple.

Hui held the wet piece of cause against the cut, waiting for it to dissolve the dried blood so she could clean the wound. “If you’d just let one of the healers treat you on site—”

“They were busy.”

“You’re the Chief of Police.”

“So?”

“They can make time for you.”

“You’re as bad as Kya,” Lin repeated, and Hui just sighed.

They had this argument every time, and they fell easily back into the banter they had developed as boss and assistant over the past twenty years. They were both comfortable with each other, and their mutual exhaustion had brought down their usual stiff, professional barrier.

“How’s the hip?” Hui asked Lin as she fished for a new piece of gauze.

Lin’s eyes, which had temporarily glazed over as she’d stared tiredly into the middle distance, refocused on her. “What?”

“Your hip,” the firebender replied, dabbing at the blood to see if it would come off. It did, and she cleaned the rest of it off. “How is it?”

“It’s fine,” Lin said stiffly.

Hui tossed the bloody piece of gauze and stared pointedly at her.

“...Fine. It hurts like hell.”

“Should I get the heat pack?” Hui asked.

“No. It’s not that bad.”

Hui stared at her again as she held the new piece of gauze to soak at the mouth of the rubbing alcohol.

“I’m not lying.”

Hui wasn’t sure she believed her. She leaned forward, and Lin hissed like an angry firecat as Hui pressed the alcohol-soaked gauze pad to her temple gash.

“ _ Shit _ ,” she swore, slamming her hand into the arm of her desk chair. “Some  _ warning  _ would be appreciated, Agni.”

“Could have had a healer—”

“Hui?” Lin interrupted.

“Yes?”

“As your Chief I’m ordering you to can it.”

“…As you say, Chief Beifong.” Hui finished cleaning out the wound, then tossed the second bloody gauze piece away. “Should I cover it, or will you have Kya heal it when she sees you?”

“She’ll heal it no matter what you do.”

“No sense in wasting the bandages then.” Hui slipped off her perch on Lin’s desk and cleaned her hands on a piece of gauze, then poured the tea. She handed one to Chief Beifong and poured another for herself in the second cup that was kept on Lin’s desk but almost never used.

Lin leaned back in her chair and turned to look out the window, sipping her tea quietly. Hui took her cup into her office, where she pulled a sleeve of chocolate seaweed cookies from her bottom drawer and brought it back. She juggled the sleeve and her tea, but finally got the cookies open and held the sleeve out to her boss after taking one for herself. Lin didn’t notice.

“Chief.”

Lin turned, and stared at the sleeve for a long time before leaning forward and taking one. “Thanks.”

Hui bit into her own cookie and chewed slowly as she drank her tea. The cup was warm, the beverage was hot, and it was her first sustenance in hours. Several cookies and cups of tea for both of them later, Hui felt fortified enough to continue.

“Let’s do the leg now.”

Lin sighed but undid her belt. Hui collected it, along with her ruined dress shoes and pants, and set them to the side. Then she perched once again on the desk and treated Lin, her boss dressed in nothing both her boxer briefs and her sweat-stained undershirt. It definitely wasn’t the first time, but Hui was hoping it would be one of the last.

This injury Lin was quiet for, her head tilted back on the headrest of her chair as Hui cleaned the gash. She winced as Hui poked around, checking for debris in the wound, but otherwise said nothing.

“This one’s going to need stitches,” Hui told her as she pressed a clean, dry piece of gauze over it and applied pressure as it began to bleed again. “Or at least a healer’s hand. It’s deep.”

“Noted.”

Hui waited until the bleed stopped, then carefully taped a clean bandaged to Lin’s thigh. As Lin slid into the sweatshirt and pants usually reserved the days she came back to the office soaked in rainwater, the phone rang.

Hui picked up. “Chief’s office.”

_ “Hi, Hui.”  _ It was Jin from the front. _ “I’ve got the food—and also your wife is here.” _

Hui felt herself smile. She was unsurprised her wife had tracked her down. “Send her in.”

A moment later, the double doors opened and Jin showed Pim in. Pim had changed, and clearly got some sleep. She had several flat boxes on her lap. Hui pressed a quick kiss to her hair, inhaling the comforting scent of her berry shampoo, then took the bag of takeout from Jin. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“If Master Kya shows up, please show her in.”

“I will.”

Jin closed the door behind her, and Hui turned her attention to her wife.

“Hi, babe,” Hui swooped down and gave her wife a kiss, a proper one on the mouth. “You got home safely last night?”

“I did,” Pim confirmed. “I brought you clothes.”

Hui smiled at her gratefully. She, too, was still in her service dress, although she had been able to hang her jacket on her door when she’d first gotten in. She took the two boxes of her clothes that Pim handed her and murmured, “Thank you, love.”

“And I brought you two something to eat,” the seamstress continued, wheeling up to Lin’s desk. “But it looks like you already have that covered.”

“What did you make?” Hui asked, following after her wife after she set the clothing boxes to the side.

“Just bao,” Pim said, and carefully set the two remaining containers from her lap on Lin’s desk. “Some sweet and savory.”

Lin sat up in her chair. “Good afternoon, Pimchan.”

“Chief Beifong,” Pim greeted her with a smile. “Since you won’t come for dinner, I suppose I have to bring dinner to you, no?”

Lin huffed but rolled her eyes.

“We can all eat,” Hui said gratefully, and dropped another kiss to her wife’s hair. “I’ll get a chair.”

She did, along with another cup for Pim. She unpacked the Narooks order, leaving one seaweed salad and squid noodles in the bag for Kya, whenever she showed up. She passed Lin the extra seaweed salad and udon with fishcakes, and sat as Pim poured herself a cup of tea from the pot.

“Thank you,” Lin said seriously to Pim over her desk as she broke her takeout sticks apart. “You take good care of your wife.”

“Well she takes good care of me, so I think it’s even,” Pim said, smiling at Hui.

Hui smiled back.

The three women ate without much more chatter. Halfway through the meal, Kya arrived, also soot-smeared and exhausted. Hui helped the bedraggled woman off her feet and fetched another chair and another tea cup.

“You are a wonder,” Kya murmured as Hui pressed first her food, then a cup of tea into her hands. The waterbender turned to Lin. “You can’t ever get rid of her.”

Lin leaned back in her desk chair and scoffed at the very idea. “I don’t plan on it.”


End file.
